


who have you become?

by unrealistically



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship, badboy!Chanyeol, baseballgang!exo, slutty!baekhyun, teacher!kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2019-12-27 03:54:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18296315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unrealistically/pseuds/unrealistically
Summary: Chanyeol's former friend Baekhyun has changed completely.Chanyeol doesn't know how to feel about it.





	1. new things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chanyeol sees a former friend in a different light.

_senior year (present), spring_

Chanyeol first heard the rumor about Baekhyun during his economics class. The bell would sound in a few minutes, so the lesson hadn't officially started yet, and it was unusual for Chanyeol to be in his seat early. Even being in the class on time was a struggle for him. He, however, forgot to finish his economics homework sheet and his eyes darted back and forth from his sheet to his phone, which had a picture of the worksheet already completed, provided by one of his friends that actually did their work.

Chanyeol didn't like copying off of others, but he didn't want to fail his classes on his last year of high school.

He found himself perk up into consciousness when he heard the mention of a familiar name.

"I heard Baekhyun is gay," a male peer of his whispered from behind him, likely talking to someone else. Chanyeol found it easy to hear these kinds of things. Whether they're meant to be kept secret through hushed words, Chanyeol could still hear many things not in the usual range of his eardrums. His baseball friends would joke that it was because his ears were abnormally large, to which he'd respond by providing playful yet painful punches.

"Who's that again?" Another voice, deeper than the first, had introduced itself from behind him. "The nerdy dude with the big glasses, right?"

"I guess he stopped wearing glasses recently, but yeah that's him," the first voice responded. "I think I saw him in the halls wearing fishnets."

Chanyeol heard an agitating chuckle in response to the comment, a sound that made Chanyeol's foot tap a little faster in annoyance.

"No way, fishnets?" The second voice mused in surprise. "Well shit.. how hot did he look?"

"Oh dude, you are so sick!" The first voice exclaimed jokingly, managing to keep his voice quiet enough so that no one else in the classroom could hear. Fists clenched onto his pencil and anger rising, Chanyeol lifted his head to look around the room, wondering if anyone else was hearing this nonsense besides him, and found the only students who arrived were sitting at the very front, minding their own business. Chanyeol guessed that he should have been minding his own business too, but he couldn't just disconnect himself from the eavesdrop when the rumor addressed the well-being of his former friend.

"I'm just joking, I'm joking," The second voice drawled. "Have you seen the dude's thighs though? I'm not into fags but-"

Time seemed to stop as the pencil that shook in Chanyeol's hand finally snapped under his force, making a loud crunch sound. Chanyeol had heard enough.

"Are we talking about Baekhyun as in Byun Baekhyun?" Chanyeol questioned in a hushed tone, eyes darkened as they darted between the two dudes behind him. Although the comment wasn't addressed to him, Chanyeol couldn't help but turn in his chair, evident anger on his face. His anger went down and his pride went up as he saw the dudes cower back, clearly intimidated.

"Y-yeah," the guy directly behind him squeaked. "Sorry for bothering you man, I guess we were talking too loudly."

Chanyeol fought the urge to attack the both of them at that very moment. What they had been saying moments before was heavily indecent, but it was indecency regarding someone who he had learned to like and respect, and truthfully speaking, the thought of either of those guys having any sexual action with Baekhyun made Chanyeol feel something of jealousy and disgust. 

"If I ever hear Baekhyun's name leave either of your mouths again," he said slowly, vision shifting between the two. "I will beat the living shit out of the both of you, got it?"

He smirked as he saw the two nod quickly in terror and turn towards their schoolwork, avoiding any eye contact with the dominating male. Chanyeol turned around and retreated to his original position facing the front of the classroom as he finally heard the bell ring and the rush of students start making their way inside the room.

It felt weird to stick up for Baekhyun. Even though Chanyeol would have considered them once close, that bond decayed over the recent years.

Chanyeol's anger high went down as he started to get comfortable in his chair, for once feeling grateful that the teacher was starting his lecture per usual, something to take his mind off of Baekhyun's hecklers. Like always, however, Chanyeol's mind started going towards that direction, and instantly went to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun in fishnet stockings.

Chanyeol almost groaned out loud, trying his best not to picture the scandalous and unintelligibly sexy image.

* * *

 It was lunch hour, meaning that the hallways would soon be ablaze with the fiery of students, pushing and shoving their way to get to the cafeteria, the bathrooms or the parking lot. Park Chanyeol found that as his position in the school's baseball team and being a major figure of the 'popular' clique, one look at the miniatures who stood at their height below him were quick to scurry out of his way.

Exiting his economics period, he made his way down the hall towards the exit door that led to the parking lot, the start of a ritual in which Chanyeol would hang out with his baseball buddies and share a few smokes.

The thought of their "school law-breaking" hangouts made Chanyeol snicker. There have been the occasional goody two-shoes who've went out of their way to report their group to the school officials, but their complaints always fell on deaf ears. Zhang Yixing, one of the players on the team, practically funds the school. Well - it's more his family that provides the funding, but since Yixing is a core component to the continuous baseball game victories  _and_ the son of the businessman who provides over 90 percent of the school's funds, the school officials know their place to keep quiet if it means that Yixing can glide through school with a clean record.

Chanyeol didn't pay any mind to the high-schoolers around him, as he's already gotten used to them practically scampering away like bugs if they were in his way. On his phone, Chanyeol sent a text to his baseball team group chat, letting them know he'd be there soon. 

Suddenly, he came to an involuntary stop as he walked into another body.

Tilting his head up from his phone, his face morphed into one of annoyance and impatience, ready to give the cause of the abrupt stop a threatening look. Though soon after seeing who he had bumped into, his angry look softened immediately.

Byun Baekhyun.

Judging from a second look of surprise, Baekhyun wasn't expecting to bump into another person either. Seeing Baekhyun having to look up to exchange eye contact with Chanyeol nearly made him smirk, as it was another trait of his that set him apart from the rest of his peers. However, Chanyeol couldn't be too distracted with his own appearance as he took in that of Baekhyun's. The only thought on Chanyeol's mind was how..  _different_ the boy looked nowadays.

Baekhyun's face was coated with makeup products that only highlighted his good looking facial features. His skin gleamed, even under the dim hallway light, along with his hair, which happened to be a darker shade of blonde, a hair color that he'd never seen Baekhyun have before. The dark choker on his neck didn't go unnoticed either, hugging the boy's neck snugly. Chanyeol found himself raising his eyebrows at the additional accessory, as it seemed too out of character and too provocative for Baekhyun to wear. But alas, here the boy was, wearing not only a choker, but fishnet stockings!

"You look.. different," Chanyeol drawled, eyeing the smaller male a bit too intently. Chanyeol tried his hardest not to look further down past the boy's belt, knowing he'd develop lustful thinking if he were given any ammunition.

Baekhyun removed the sucker that was in his mouth, making a pop sound in the process.

"I hope you mean that as a good thing?" Baekhyun replied questioningly, tilting his head as he looked up at Chanyeol. He couldn't help but notice Baekhyun's lips, and how plumper and red they were. Perhaps the color came from the lollipop he had just been sucking on, but Chanyeol could see that it was likely lipstick and a gloss. The plump lips formed into a smile that made it's way to Baekhyun's face, and Chanyeol couldn't help reflect the same expression with a grin of his own.

"Yeah, for sure. It's a good different, you know?" He said as coolly as he could. "So, how have you been Baekhyun?"

Instinctively, Chanyeol leaned on the wall of lockers, getting even closer to Baekhyun, who had already moved towards the lockers himself in order not to get in the way of the passing students who walked by. Chanyeol tried his best to ignore the questioning looks that the both of them received, likely because they wouldn't have expected the both of them interacting.. ever. Truthfully, Chanyeol partially hadn't thought about it as plausible either.

"I've been okay," Baekhyun reflected, looking down at his shoes in order to break eye contact. "Just trying some new things this year. Being the last year of high school, we should make it the wildest, right?"

Although his response was hard to hear over the loud rush of students, Chanyeol was able to understand him. With this, Chanyeol grinned, realizing that he recognized Baekhyun's voice. Although the appearance of Baekhyun certainly changed, his voice was still soft-spoken, almost like a passing wind. Baekhyun's voice was a quiet one that only Chanyeol could hear, with the advantage of bigger ears being an accommodation. Ever since they'd been friends, Chanyeol practically trained himself to hear Baekhyun's quietest words.

"I think you should be more careful when walking through these halls," Chanyeol noted to the smaller male, acknowledging his submissive aura. "Sometimes people can get irrationally angry when someone bumps into them, and I wouldn't want to see you get hurt because of that."

Baekhyun bit his lip in an attempt to contain his smirk.

"That's sweet," Baekhyun whispered, almost suggestively. "You don't want to see me get hurt?"

Baekhyun then popped the sucker he held in his hand back in his mouth, and looked up at Chanyeol with a look of excitement that could clearly be seen in the boy's eyes. Chanyeol tried his hardest not to think about Baekhyun sucking on something _other than_ the bright red lollipop that took shelter in his mouth.

"Why would I want to?" Chanyeol asked.

"I don't know, I just thought that all the baseball players would be.." Baekhyun mused, tapping his chin sarcastically. "Assholes."

Chanyeol's eyes narrowed.

"We aren't all monsters, despite what you see going on around school," Chanyeol muttered. Baekhyun grinned at this.

"I know _you_ aren't," he started to say, still looking up at Chanyeol to maintain eye contact. "But that's not what you want people to think, right?"

Chanyeol is at a loss for words, trying to form his next sentence.

"Anyway, I think I can take care of myself, Chanyeol," Baekhyun only responded. He fished his phone from his jacket pocket. "I should head out. Lots to do."

And with that final comment, Chanyeol is left with confused feelings as Baekhyun retreated from his spot near the lockers, starting to walk among the crowd of students still walking in all directions of the hallway. Before fully leaving Chanyeol's presence, Baekhyun turned to him again.

"It was nice to see you, though." Baekhyun added finally, along with a wink and a smile. He turned his back towards Chanyeol again, and set off towards the cafeteria.

Chanyeol leaned his head back onto a locker, remembering the fact that he did in fact drift away from Baekhyun in favor of the people he talks to now. He takes a longing look at Baekhyun one more time, more specifically, his figure.

Park Chanyeol was not gay.

However, Baekhyun practically  _strutting_ down the hall in his tight shorts and fishnet stockings was making him feel a sinful urge.

Banging his head on the locker once to rid himself of the impurity creeping into his conscious, he went the opposite direction towards the parking lot, remembering that he had friends to tend to.

* * *

 

_freshman year (three years ago), fall_

_"_ We've only been in class for about a week, so I figured we'd do some ice breakers! So you all can get to know each other." The teacher spoke, grinning as she suddenly heard the synergized sounds of annoyance. Chanyeol found himself groaning along with the class, already feeling tense at the idea of being forced to socialize with his peers.

"Great.." Chanyeol murmured, not finding anyone in the class particularly interesting enough to approach.

"I'm giving you all a worksheet," the teacher started to speak before walking between the rows of desks, placing a snow white paper on each. "What I want you to do is pair up with a partner of your choosing and go through these questions together! I figured that it's better to work in pairs rather than larger groups because judging from what I've been hearing, the majority of you hate socializing?"

She chuckled as she saw a mass amount of heads nod in agreement simultaneously.

"Well, pair up! Once you're both finished with the sheet, you can turn it in."

Soon, Chanyeol saw the heads in front of him submerge into a crowd, as everyone started to get up and move around, finding their own friends to work on the assignment with. Chanyeol clicked his tongue, unsure of what to do. He didn't really expect any of his peers to approach him. Ever since he was a child, and every day growing up, he would ask why no one would want to be friends with him in his times during adolescence. He was given the same answer told by his own friends and family that he looked too intimidating. It annoyed Chanyeol, because he knew they were right.

With eyes that were naturally narrowed and eyebrows that were naturally pointed, his resting face was always on the edge of being a glare. His frightening height of 6'2 was too unbelievable for a high school student, and neither was his attire. Even that day he wore a thick leather jacket that covered his broad shoulders and muscled upper physique.

The hidden pack of cigarettes in his jacket pocket also helped the "bad boy" image all too well.

So, unsure of what to do, Chanyeol leaned back in his chair, fishing out his cellular from the deep pocket of his jeans. Clearly bored, Chanyeol tried to pay no mind to the shuffling, talking and laughter that happened all around the classroom.

It was when a pale hand made it's way into his vision that he looked away from his screen.

The delicate hand, with it's small fingers, tapped on his desk. It was an act that confused Chanyeol greatly, as his eyes roamed over the hand to the arm to the body that it belonged to.

Chanyeol's heart beat faster.

"Um, hi! Sorry.." the boy he knew as Baekhyun murmured sheepishly. The flustered boy scratched his head as he tried to talk further, still able to hold his own by maintaining still eye contact with Chanyeol. "Would you like to work on the assignment with me?"

Baekhyun held the sheet in his hand up, gave Chanyeol one last look, before skimming the paper again, his one hand returning back to the comforting spot on Chanyeol's own desk while his other held the paper. It seemed as if he was starting to avoid Chanyeol's gaze as he stared down the assignment sheet.

Chanyeol only blinked once, and then a second time. An engulfing silence cloaked their space, as Baekhyun awaited an answer from his peer. Baekhyun peaked back up at the taller student's face, and his own face fell, thinking that Chanyeol was looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"Sorry, that was stupid of me to ask," Baekhyun then conceded, his hand starting to retreat back to his own desk.

Quickly, perhaps too quickly, Chanyeol stopped him, firmly but not harshly grabbing hold of his wrist.

"No, no, I'll work with you."

He looked up from the sight of his hand clamped on Baekhyun's wrist towards the face of Baekhyun and almost had a heart attack right then and there.

The boy was blushing a deep red, and his lips weren't in their usual upward curve like they used to be.

Before Chanyeol could take that factoid personally, already thinking he had offended Baekhyun in some way, he felt an instant shot of relief, seeing the shorter male beside him smile brightly soon afterwards.

"Yay!" Baekhyun could only exclaim, as he inched his own desk closer to Chanyeol's own.

Now, Chanyeol liked having his personal space. If it were anybody else as close to him as Baekhyun was at that point, he would push them away. Baekhyun, however, looking up at Chanyeol with his deep brown eyes and alluring gaze, made Chanyeol forget all about personal space. He didn't mind sharing his space with Baekhyun. Chanyeol saw him extend his arm out timidly.

"I'm Baekhyun," he said quietly, perhaps from shyness.

Chanyeol met the smaller and gentler hand with his own. The hands were definite polar opposites. Compared to Baekhyun's smooth and delicate hands, Chanyeol's were larger and felt rougher at the surface of his skin.

"Chanyeol, nice to meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading in on the first chapter! i know it's a bit odd as the flashbacks in the middle of the sections can get annoying.
> 
> the next chapter will have:
> 
> \- more flashbacks focused on Chanyeol and Baekhyun's first interactions together  
> \- some scenes from the present that show more of Baekhyun's.. *slutty* and adventurous side  
> \- an extensive view on Chanyeol's friends, and what they're like  
> \- plus other stuff when i think of it
> 
> THANK YOU!~


	2. mr. Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a flashback, Baekhyun and his favorite teacher talk.
> 
> Presently, we get a first look at the baseball gang.. plus Baekhyun.

_junior year (one year ago), spring_

"What's that?"

The gentle voice caught him by surprise. It was after the last bell had rung for the day, and the classrooms and halls were practically empty. Baekhyun, quietly keeping to himself, had been working on a math problem. It was usually around this time that Baekhyun would find himself sitting in his favorite teacher's classroom after school hours, waiting for the city bus to come by. Thankfully, the bus always came about half an hour after school ended.

Baekhyun, startled by the sudden sound, looked upwards quickly. His eyes softened after seeing who it was before he slowly slid his paper forward. His teacher occupied the chair beside him and looked.

"Just an assignment for Pre-Calc," Baekhyun explained, taking a look at his worksheet assignment one more time as it was being fully displayed. "With report cards being finalized for this quarter I need to start doing my assignments to get my grade a bit higher." He made a disdained face, picturing the last few F's he had recently received on his tests. It was uncharacteristic of Baekhyun to perform lesser than exceptional, so having a just-barely passing grade of a D was a shocking realization.

"You have a D in that class, right?" The teacher asked him, astonishment and slight amusement clearly visible on his face. "I'm honestly surprised."

"I am too," Baekhyun muttered grumpily. "Straight A student until junior year where a blaring D not only drags down my GPA but also overshadows all of my other A grades.. what will colleges think?" He looked up at his teacher, pouting. The man chuckled, ruffling Baekhyun's hair, proven easy to do with their height difference. The action may strike as odd to many, but Baekhyun and Mr. Do had a special bond. They took an instant liking to each other at the start of the junior year with Baekhyun enrolled in his literature class.

"Don't overreact, Baekhyun," Mr. Do scolded lightly, grin still spread on his face. "You still have two weeks to both re-take those tests you failed and turn in your missing assignments."

"That was the plan," Baekhyun murmured in annoyance. He made another sour face as he thought of his Pre-Calc teacher. "Ms. Lee cut the deadline on the test re-takes, now I can't do them."

Mr. Do raised a brow in surprise, rubbing his chin.

"I wonder why she'd do that.." He murmured softly. He looked up at Baekhyun and took note of his stressed face. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Baekhyun was quick to shake his head, meeting his teacher's face of concern. Ah, Baekhyun hated it when his teacher would worry about him. He knew that the teacher couldn't help it, as it's part of the job description to check up on students every once in a while. However, seeing his teacher share the stress that Baekhyun exuded made him feel guilty.

"I feel like that would make things worse," he frowned. "But anyway, please don't worry about me. You're right, I'm overreacting about all of this. If I do my assignments, I can bring my grade up to at least a B minus, which is better than what it is right now."

"B minus isn't so bad," Mr. Do agreed. Baekhyun nodded once before looking down at his paper once again.

Feeling a reassuring touch on his arm, Baekhyun found himself smiling, to nobody in particular but rather at the paper below him. Their usual sessions such as this made Baekhyun feel even more comfortable being in the classroom, knowing that he had somebody to rely on for support. Even then, the support provided didn't always have to be academic. If Baekhyun had personal problems going on, he had many opportunities to share them with Mr. Do.

That doesn't necessarily mean he did, though.

"I just wish I understood how to do these problems."

As his hand started to slide the sheet back towards him, a different hand placed itself on top of Baekhyun's own, stopping it in place.

Confused, Baekhyun looked towards his teacher as the man's eyes focused solely on the sheet. It was fascinating, as Baekhyun swore he could practically see the multitude of numbers being calculated in the man's eyes at that very moment.

"You know, before I became an English teacher, I had to teach a couple years of math," His teacher voiced softly, returning his gaze back on Baekhyun. "Pre-Calc included."

"I would appreciate the help," he said sincerely, bowing his head as a gesture of gratitude. "I would ask Ms. Lee, but she's not very good at teaching anyway."

Mr. Do grinned, causing Baekhyun to feel lifted in his spirits once again.

"Let's get started then?"

Baekhyun bit his lip, nodding, before suddenly coming to a realization.

"Wait, you have to attend the teacher meeting pretty soon," Baekhyun then looked at the clock ahead of them. "You have to leave for it in.. like five minutes."

Mr. Do's eyes also drifted towards the digital clock, and he frowned at this, realizing that his student was right.

"I go to every single one.. perhaps I can skip just this once," Mr. Do pondered. "Don't want to leave you to fend for yourself, right?" Baekhyun gave him a playful light punch on the shoulder, grinning again.

"I never pictured you as a skipper, Mr. Do," Baekhyun said with a giggle. His teacher wagged a finger in Baekhyun's face, a look of slight seriousness in his face.

"You make me feel old when you call me that," he said pointedly, a comment that only made Baekhyun laugh. "Just call me Kyungsoo after school hours, okay?"

Baekhyun tilted his head, confused at the request. Before he could respond to him, he saw his phone light up on his desk. Both pairs of eyes looked towards the screen as it displayed a message. Although the content was hidden, the sender was labeled as Baekhyun's friend: _Park Chanyeol_. Baekhyun scoffed, grabbing his phone and turning it over. This surprised Kyungsoo.

"Park Chanyeol?" He asked unexpectedly, eyes wider than they usually had been. "I can't picture you being friends with someone from the school's baseball gang." Baekhyun only looked at the back of his phone in annoyance, not wanting to read the message his friend sent. In Baekhyun's defense, he had been angry at his friend at the time for standing him up last weekend. This wouldn't be as much of an issue if it weren't for the fact that Chanyeol had stood Baekhyun up three times in a row the past month.

Every time Baekhyun would express his concern for their lack of time together, Chanyeol would apologize, feel bad, and then suggest a time and place. Baekhyun would feel happy because of this, wanting to spend quality time with a friend he'd started to drift away from unexpectedly. He was under the impression that Chanyeol was putting effort into their friendship, but with every missed call, texts not responded to, and presence unseen at their usual hang out places, Baekhyun has been pushed over the edge.

"I'm just mad at him right now," Baekhyun said quietly. "He stood me up again."

Kyungsoo's eyes narrowed.

"I didn't know that the both of you were romantically involved."

Baekhyun's eyes widened at the thought of that.

"We're not dating," he quickly informed his teacher, seeing Kyungsoo visibly relax again. It was as if Baekhyun was reassuring him, but he didn't exactly know why he would feel the need to do so. "We've just been close friends since freshman year, and all of a sudden he's starting to hang out with other people." Baekhyun's eyes darkened with gloominess as he avoided his teacher's gaze by looking down at his desk. Baekhyun wasn't naive. He could understand why Chanyeol wouldn't want to be seen with him. 

The differences between Chanyeol and Baekhyun are laughably noticeable, even since freshman year.

"Maybe I'm not cool enough for him and his clique," Baekhyun whispered, looking down at the huge grandma-like sweater he had been wearing at that moment. Instinctively, he also pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose, feeling them start to slip off.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Kyungsoo matched Baekhyun's quietness in his own responses. "I heard that the baseball team is involved in some bad stuff. I don't want you to get involved in any of that." Again, Baekhyun felt that familiar sense of comfort that he had been missing. His heart started to beat faster as he looked back at Kyungsoo, who was eyeing him with care.

"Thank you." Baekhyun murmured. He looked back at the clock again, seeing that time has passed for the misfortune of both of them. "Please, attend the meeting. I don't want you to receive any penalty because of me." Knowing Kyungsoo didn't budge so easily, Baekhyun started to gather his things and place them into his schoolbag.

"You won't be late for the city bus, right?"

Baekhyun shook his head, practically having the bus schedule memorized.

"The bus will be here in about ten minutes, so I have time." Baekhyun reached in his bag to take out a letter-like object. He held it hidden as he walked towards the exit door.

"Thank goodness for that," Kyungsoo said with relief. "I couldn't live with myself knowing you'd be waiting hours for the next bus to arrive." Baekhyun nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, city buses didn't come around to their part of the city often, as it was practically hidden, so public transportation was seldom an option for moving around. Baekhyun, however, didn't have much choice. With much insistence from Kyungsoo, Baekhyun finally went to the school's office, wanting to see if he could get a spot on the school bus. It proved to be a fail attempt, though, because Baekhyun's home was considered too far away to be driven to by a public school bus.

"Kyungsoo, I wanted you to have something," Baekhyun said, voice being slightly shaky. "It's nothing too important, just a card expressing my gratitude."

Kyungsoo grinned widely at this.

"How cute," he commented as he moved towards Baekhyun, who revealed the card from behind his back. "I always knew you were an artsy one."

"It's just something I made in art class," Baekhyun dismissed as casually as he could. "The class is so easy, you know, so I have a lot of free time on my hands to do whatever." He handed the card over timidly, not wanting to cringe seeing Kyungsoo read his writing.

"So what made you think I was a good candidate for the card?" Kyungsoo asked, a smile making its way to his face as he opened the card to instantly be met with a dog illustration.

Baekhyun scratched his head.

"Well, you're the only teacher here that I stay after school for," Baekhyun started to say, then leading into a mini rambling. "And that's not just because you let me wait in your classroom after school for the city bus, I just genuinely find myself happier in your company. Lately I haven't been able to rely on anyone, but you always make time for me."

As Kyungsoo was reading the card to himself, Baekhyun took the opportunity to slip out before Kyungsoo could somehow make fun of him for any writing mistakes or unintentionally bad illustrations. Murmuring an airy farewell, Baekhyun turned his back with the intention of leaving only to be spun around again. Kyungsoo's hand lingered on the smaller male's shoulder as he spoke.

"I usually don't favor students," Kyungsoo murmured. "But you're making it so hard."

Baekhyun's heart beat faster.

"..sorry?" Baekhyun said questioningly, unsure of how to respond to that. He wasn't sure whether to apologize, or to take the comment as a compliment.

They looked each other in the eyes for a couple seconds longer, before Kyungsoo shook his head, as if he was trying to clear his head.

"Anyway, I gotta head to that meeting," Kyungsoo said quickly. He walked ahead of Baekhyun and opened the classroom door. "After you."

Baekhyun moved towards the exit, bowing his head again gratefully, as he walked out into the hallway. This was where they usually parted ways every day.

"Have a good weekend, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun said, smiling at him.

"You too, Baekhyun."

* * *

_present (senior year), spring_

"Yooo, earth to Big Ears!" A voice exclaimed.

Chanyeol, cigarette in his mouth, had not noticed his friend Jongin in front of his face. The smoke may have been the culprit of that. Perhaps it was also his mind being stuck on some things. Today in the halls, he noticed his former friend Baekhyun wearing another outfit. It was nice, as his attire wasn't as skimpy as last week. It was a knitted navy blue top which cropped just above his belly button, intentionally showing the guy's flat and toned stomach. The sweater was tighter compared to the sweaters Baekhyun usually wore in the past, however, Chanyeol couldn't help but feel thankful anyway. For that he didn't know why.

Baekhyun was just as unrecognizable as last week, as this day, Baekhyun's hair was a wavy dark blonde compared to the usual straight black.

"Call me that again and you'll regret it," Chanyeol warned, eyes narrowing at his friend. He leaned further back on the truck they always hung out on. It was hard to believe for any of them that Minseok owned such a huge vehicle, but it proved to be a necessity, as it basically served as a hangout spot.

"Jeez, so snippy today," Jongin muttered, looking down at his feet dangling as he sat on the truck's cargo bed. "We were just talking about the upcoming baseball season. Ten days. You're ready for our first game, right?"

Chanyeol scoffed.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, not to be observant," a lighter voice peaked it's way in. Chanyeol rolled his eyes, though softening them when they landed upon his other friend Junmyeon, who sat besides Jongin with his legs crossed. "You have been looking a bit tense lately.. everything alright?" Chanyeol, though grateful that there were some friends in their group who gave a shit about something as undisclosed as mental health, Chanyeol waved a hand dismissively, muttering that everything was fine.

"We gotta get you on your best behavior," Jongin voiced again, taking Chanyeol's cigarette from his hand and taking a puff. "We can't have another season where you miss hits cause you were sulking about your ex-girlfriend."

Chanyeol grunted, remembering Chaeyoung. He shook his head, trying to burn any visual of her memory still in his brain.

"I wasn't sulking," Chanyeol said defensively. "I was just annoyed. How does someone leave me of all people?"

"Guess someone took a big hit right in their ego," Sehun said casually, lighting a blunt of his own. "Maybe you were too rough with her, yeah?"

Chanyeol grinned, almost maliciously.

"Yeah, Chanyeol, she was practically one of those church girls who wait until marriage to get fucked," Yixing joked humorously. "Why do you always go for the innocent ones, anyway? You scare them off two weeks into a relationship."

Chanyeol eyes darted to Yixing and he smirked.

"Just a personal preference, I guess," Chanyeol muttered darkly. He grabbed his cigarette back from Jongin greedily, sneering at him. He then looked outwards toward the the baseball field, thinking back to all of the home runs he'd accomplished during his high school years. He took a puff of his cigarette. "Anyway, no distractions for me. I'll be ready." 

Perhaps Chanyeol had spoken too soon.

It was then that a whistle sounded. It wasn't a whistle like the one gym teachers use, it was more of a catcall.

Chanyeol looked at the source of it, and turned his head toward Sehun, who, after he catcalled, stared ahead with a smirk on his face. He followed Sehun's gaze towards the school building. The cigarette that hung out in his mouth nearly fell out as his mouth opened agape.

Baekhyun _.. heading over here?_

"Byun Baekhyun.." Sehun drawled suggestively. He leaned back with his elbows on the truck, presenting his lean body intentionally. It helped Sehun in that he was shirtless, only an unzipped leather jacket covering his upper body. Chanyeol was just about to yell at him to go grab a shirt from the backseat of the truck, but before he could do so, he saw Baekhyun approach their group. Chanyeol eyebrows rose in surprise, seeing Baekhyun in his glasses. Perhaps contacts weren't his favorite change?

The only noticeable changes was his blonde hair. Also his ear piercing.  _And one on his belly button?_

"Uh, hello," Baekhyun said timidly, scratching the back of his head. Chanyeol nearly chuckled, recognizing his former friend's awkward albeit adorable habits of nervousness. "Just came to give this to Junmyeon, who left it in Chemistry class." Baekhyun held out a notebook that had Junmyeon's name plastered on it, with the topic labeled Chemistry. Junmyeon rose up from his laid down position on the trucks bed, who smiled at Baekhyun.

"Thanks, Baek," Junmyeon said genuinely. Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at Junmyeon, wondering who gave him permission to call him that nickname. Before Junmyeon could reach the notebook, Jongin greedily snatched at it.

"This'll make nice rolling paper for blunts," Jongin said teasingly. Junmyeon rolled his eyes and grabbed at the notebook, Jongin putting up as much effort to keep it in his own hands. Baekhyun shifted his feet, clearly uncomfortable, as the intense gazes of every member of Chanyeol's "gang" were staring at him still, excluding Junmyeon and Jongin who were still tugging and pulling at the chemistry notebook.

"Okay well, I should head back," Baekhyun pointed a finger to the building.

As Baekhyun started to walk back, Sehun was unusually quick to grasp his wrist. "Hold up a sec."

Baekhyun stopped in his tracks and looked towards Sehun, who still maintained his pose leaning against the truck. Sehun, slowly but surely, pulled Baekhyun towards him. The sight made Chanyeol only slightly annoyed, as he could see that Baekhyun was obviously nervous and probably just wanted to head back to his class.

"I really like what you did to your hair," Sehun mused, using his free hand to roam the waviness of it while his other hand still clutched onto Baekhyun's wrist.

Perhaps Chanyeol didn't perceive Baekhyun's character too accurately, because he certainly didn't expect Baekhyun to blush up.

"T-thank you.. I like your.." Baekhyun murmured, trailing off his sentence to look at Sehun's figure. His eyes paused on Sehun's upper body area. "Physique."

Sehun smirked. Before Sehun could respond to the compliment, another voice jumped in.

"You got a good physique too, baby!" Yixing practically hollered from the back of the truck. Chanyeol grit his teeth in annoyance as they started to converse with Baekhyun. He looked the other way to try his best and avoid the situation entirely, but in the corner of his eye, he could've swore he saw Baekhyun grin.

"Do I, now?" Baekhyun asked evocatively.

"Maybe we can see it in it's full glory-" Before Sehun could finish his heavily suggestive sentence, Chanyeol interrupted.

"Alright, that's enough," Chanyeol said with pure venom in his voice. Sehun and Yixing gave a look of surprise to each other, and Baekhyun bit his lip to hide an oncoming smirk.

"He's right, I need to head back to class," Baekhyun said lightly, taking a longing look at the building.

"You want a smoke before you go?" Sehun asked, holding up a freshly rolled blunt in his hand. Chanyeol gave him a harsh glare, but Sehun was still focusing his gaze on Baekhyun, keeping the same grin on his face.

"Maybe another time, yeah?" Baekhyun responded. With a final wave, he glanced at everyone before descending towards the building he came out from. It was then that Chanyeol could properly breathe. Although slightly bitter that Baekhyun didn't directly interact with him, he knew why this would be the case.

"He looks like someone Chanyeol would pick up," Yixing said, remembering his comment made about Chanyeol's ex. "Gave off that 'innocent' nerdy vibe. Hot as fuck, but nerdy."

If Chanyeol wasn't fuming then, he definitely was now. He took another drag from his cigarette to restrict himself from spouting anything venomous.

"Nah, he's probably had his fair share of dick," Jongin said, scrolling through his phone casually. "Didn't you hear about that rumor that went around? About him and that Social Studies teacher being in a relationship?"

_Wait what?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to clear any confusion:
> 
> there were two sections this chapter.
> 
> \- the first section was a flashback to over a year prior, it was after baekhyun and chanyeol first started to cut each other off.  
> \- the second section was a present scene, a week after the present events of the first chapter took place.
> 
>  
> 
> I really hope you liked this turn of events, I definitely wasn't expecting to be this thorough for the introduction of Kyungsoo. Yes, Kyungsoo x Baekhyun will be a pairing (just A pairing, not THE pairing) in this story, sorry for the surprise! I didn't want to spoil anything when I debuted the story with it's first chapter.
> 
> THANKS FOR READING AND SEE YOU THE NEXT CHAPTER!


	3. water under the bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the past, we see polar opposites Chanyeol and Baekhyun grow closer.
> 
> Presently, we see something similar.

_freshman year (three years ago), fall_

It was two or so hours after school on a Friday afternoon and all of the students had emptied out already, all eager to attend to weekend plans. Baekhyun, however, stayed a bit later than usual to work on a school project he had due for his social studies class. He really felt that his time was spent productively, as he was able to get his grades up while also acquainting himself with a really nice teacher Mr. Do. By what Baekhyun was told by his gossiping peers, it was Mr. Do's first year of teaching, but it sure didn't seem like it as Mr. Do demonstrated only professionalism, helpfulness and kindness while teaching, as a teacher typically should.

Fresh was a great word to describe Mr. Do. He was young, had little teaching experience, and was unbelievably attractive for a teacher. Baekhyun couldn't believe he even was a teacher when he first walked in the classroom. Many whispers of desire were exchanged around the classroom regarding the new teacher during the class period, which only slightly disturbed Baekhyun. He sighed, resting his chin in his palm as he gazed at the school, trying not to think of his teacher as attractive. He only started to re-daydream when he was suddenly interrupted of his thoughts.

"What are you doing?"

The deep, and albeit startling voice came out of nowhere and Baekhyun perked up in surprise. He almost gasped seeing his classmate outside of class.

"H-hi, Chanyeol," Baekhyun managed to say, straightening his posture quickly as he looked up at the taller male, who was simply staring back at him.

Chanyeol was a mystery to Baekhyun. They only interacted once, and that was on the first day of school for their ice breaker activity in one of their classes. Even though Chanyeol looked.. scary.. to Baekhyun, Baekhyun still felt comfort when he and Chanyeol first interacted. It was as if the intimidating factor of the tall individual was just thrown out of the window as soon as they talked about each others hobbies and interests. Baekhyun, while only talking to him for about half an hour, learned a lot about Chanyeol. He has a great passion for baseball, most importantly. It was very fascinating for Baekhyun to watch a seemingly menacing person practically light up with joy talking about what they like, especially because it was about something harmless like baseball. 

"I'm just waiting for the bus." Baekhyun continued.

Baekhyun almost frowned as he saw Chanyeol scoff.

"You do realize the bus transits are closed for today, right?" Baekhyun's eyes widened at Chanyeol's remark, and he quickly pulled out his phone to look at the schedule.

"That can't be!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Before Baekhyun could pull up the bus schedule, he saw Chanyeol quickly occupy the bus seat beside him. He almost felt a zap of electricity as he then felt Chanyeol's hand on his own which was holding the phone. Chanyeol lowered it slowly.

"You don't have to check, I already know," he almost whispered in Baekhyun's ear. "Anyway, you don't have to fret, I can take you anywhere you need."

Baekhyun felt his face heat up, and he bit his lip nervously. He only glanced at Chanyeol as he only stared back, grinning slightly. Chanyeol slowly removed his hand from Baekhyun's as he then dug in his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. Baekhyun showed a discreet face of disgust as he watched the process of Chanyeol light up a cigarette and huff it in his mouth.

"Um, I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Baekhyun said slowly, moving his hands and gaze down to his lap. "I mean, my guardian wouldn't really be okay with me going in a car with a stranger."

Chanyeol suddenly sputtered, coughing all of the smoke from his mouth. A lot of the smoke traveled it's way to Baekhyun's own face, and he frantically swat at the smoke with his hand.

"Where are your guardians now?" Chanyeol asked simply, grin turning to smirk. "They're not even here to pick you up from school."

Baekhyun's eyes gazed downwards again. "I know.."

Shortly, Baekhyun felt an empowering pat on his back that almost sends him forward. Chanyeol chuckles as he gets up, grabbing Baekhyun's arm softly in the process. Baekhyun instinctively gets up as well, as they start walking away from the bus stop and towards the school parking lot.

"If it makes you or your parents feel better, you're not getting in a car with a stranger," Chanyeol started to explain as they entered the school gate. Chanyeol released his grasp on Baekhyun as he continues to lead the way. "You're getting on a motorcycle with a stranger."

Baekhyun's eyes widened and he gulped. Chanyeol's chuckles didn't make him feel better, either.

Chanyeol dropped his cigarette on the floor and stepped on it, as if he were squishing a bug, to extinguish the flame. Baekhyun frowned once more at this, but refrained from saying anything in protest. _Like.. it's one thing to smoke, but to litter too?_

They walked a bit more ways into the parking lot before the motorcycle is in Baekhyun's line of sight. Baekhyun's mouth goes agape as he sees more and more of it. It was like a motorcycle one would see in action gang movies, with the black and blood red color combination and the intimidating emblems such as skulls and flames placed all over. Baekhyun couldn't say he was surprised, though, as Chanyeol seemed like the perfect candidate for the automobile.

"I like it." Baekhyun said quietly. Chanyeol narrowed his eyes, playfully suspicious.

"You do?" He asked, amused. Baekhyun only nodded quickly.

"I do! But um.. do you have helmets?" He asked Chanyeol, looking up at him. Chanyeol let out a loud laugh, as Baekhyun pouted, eyeing the motorcycle with slight terror. He saw Chanyeol shake his head, implying that he did not. Baekhyun bit his lip as he saw Chanyeol step forward towards the vehicle.

Chanyeol smoothly fished a set of keys out of his pocket, and singled out a key. He inserted the key into the hole of the motorcycle and turned, and pretty soon the motorcycle roared to life. Baekhyun almost had to cover his ears on how loud the sound was. Chanyeol lifted a leg over to the other side of the motorcycle, and looked towards Baekhyun, who had his arms crossed and worrisome eyes. It looked like Baekhyun made no move to get on the vehicle.

"Is this about the helmets?" Chanyeol asked, grinning.

"No, it's about the lack of helmets!" Baekhyun said, nearly shouting over the loud rumbling of the motorcycle.

"C'mon, don't be a big baby," Chanyeol scolded lightly, turning his hand on the throttle, making the motorcycle roar even louder. "You need a ride or not?"

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, and then back towards the bus stop longingly. If the buses weren't coming today, then Baekhyun would have no way of getting home. His mother worked 11AM to approximately 8PM everyday, so she wouldn't be able to pick him up for another three hours at least. It was like Chanyeol somehow knew this because his grin grew wider as Baekhyun was weighing his options.

Sighing, Baekhyun slowly approached the motorcycle. WIth his short height, he had to hold onto Chanyeol's back to hoist himself up. Chanyeol's face was filled with amusement. With a final push, Baekhyun moved onto the back part of the motorcycle seat, right behind Chanyeol. He lifted one leg over to the other side, mirroring how Chanyeol did beforehand. His arms reached around Chanyeol's torso quickly and tightly, as he was scared of falling off.

"Drive slow, please!" Baekhyun pleaded.

Chanyeol did not.

* * *

 

_present (senior year), spring_

_Hmmm.._

_Baekhyun and.. Mr. Do?_

"Yo!"

_Isn't that illegal?_

_Besides, sweet Baekhyun would never-_

"Chanyeol!"

Startled, Chanyeol looked up from his gaze on the dirt gravel to be met with a face mixed of both annoyance and confusion ways across the field. Swiftly, Chanyeol mirrored his friend Yixing's facial expression mockingly. He then bent slightly, tapping his baseball bat on the gravel beneath him as he then readied it behind his head, forming his baseball-hitting position. Yixing smirked, as he readied his pitch. Soon afterwards, he launched the baseball straight into Chanyeol's direction. Chanyeol eyed the ball with precision, seeing it speed up towards him. As the ball got closer, he moved his arms to swing his bat.

No sound of impact had been made. Confused, Chanyeol looked for where the baseball went. He looked behind him and the catcher, whom he didn't even know, held the baseball up with a cocky grin on his face. Chanyeol missed the ball. Again.

"Chanyeol, what the hell man?" Jongin voiced loudly from Chanyeol's right, followed by a groan. Chanyeol grit his teeth.

"I told you I'm running on two hours of sleep, fuckhead." Chanyeol spat out. Another groan escaped Jongin's mouth which further agitated Chanyeol. The catcher behind him was just watching the scene, eyebrows raised in amusement. Another baseball player took off his helmet and stepped further up the field, who was revealed to be Jongdae, who looked just as exhausted as everybody else on the field.

"Alright, no fighting the week before our first game," Chen said loud and stern. He tossed his mitten aside on the gravel below. "Why don't we call it a day?"

"Gladly.." Chanyeol muttered. He laid his baseball bat in the grass patches nearby and walked toward the benches where all of their belongings were resting. It was somewhat like a walk of shame for him, as all of the players were watching him with confusion and disappointment. He had been playing terribly at their first practice session, and it had been shocking to everyone seeing as he was one of, if not the best, player on the entire team. Even when he made sure to reassure the team beforehand that he had not gotten a lot of sleep the night before, his teammates still expected better of him.

He grabbed his leather jacket before putting it on over his baseball attire. Reaching in the familiar pocket, he grabbed his phone, his pack of cigarettes, and a lighter. Before he would move towards the side of the school building where he usually smoked, Jongin approached him, a more neutral look on his face. Chanyeol nearly rolled his eyes, already anticipating what Jongin was going to say.

"I know I've been doing bad," Chanyeol started, hoping not to cause further conflict. "I just feel exhausted today." At this, Jongin rose his hands insinuating surrender.

"Okay man, I get that," Jongin responded shortly. "But I expect you to hit every pitch tomorrow." And with that, Jongin turned and walked back towards the baseball field, where all of the other players were gathering their things. Chanyeol let out a small sigh of relief, feeling grateful he didn't have to argue. If it were any other day, Chanyeol would be begging to have an excuse to yell and bark obscenities. However, his head hurt and he found himself constantly distracted thinking about a certain rumor. With that, Chanyeol moved towards an isolated side of the math building to smoke. Being that it was after school hours, practically everybody went home, even the teachers.

Not like Chanyeol would care if a student or teacher saw him smoking on school grounds, anyway.

He leaned against the brick wall, before popping open the cigarette box and diligently pulling one out. He put the cigarette in his mouth and grabbed his lighter, striking the ignite switch multiple times. He grew increasingly annoyed by the failed attempts at getting the lighter to produce a flame. He cursed every few seconds as he continued to try and get his lighter to work, unsure if it was the lack of fuel or the wind breezing by that was causing the lighter to be dysfunctional.

"God damn it!" Chanyeol hissed in frustration. Without thinking, he threw the lighter to the ground, which smashed and broke the exterior. His breaths were ragged and his eyes were widened with anger. He knew that it wasn't just the lighter that was causing him to feel anger. He groaned and leaned his head back onto the glass window behind him.

"You okay?" A tender voice spoke up from the depths of quiet.

"Jesus!" Chanyeol shouted in surprise, the cigarette resting in his mouth dropping to the floor. He looked towards the source of the voice and his look softened, but his heart started to speed up.

Baekhyun was standing near the building's entrance door, arms to his side. The sight almost made Chanyeol feel nostalgia, as Baekhyun wasn't wearing anything nearly as flamboyant as he used to wear. A simple white button up with blue stripes, and black jeans. Chanyeol could make the complaint that the jeans were too tight for his Baekie to wear, as it probably turned some heads in the school, but it wasn't anything nearly as adventurous as fishnets. Those _definitely_ turned some heads. Chanyeol hated that the most regarding Baekhyun's change. The overwhelming _male_ attention that Baekhyun was getting. It made Chanyeol feel a sense of.. jealousy almost, but it was mostly just worry.

Baekhyun's face turned to an amused smile as he stepped forward towards Chanyeol. He got on his knees in front of Chanyeol. Chanyeol's heart lurched again, wondering what his friend was doing, and how suggestive the scene could have looked to anybody passing by. However, he felt disappointment as Baekhyun only started to gather the broken pieces of the lighter on the floor. He also picked up the dropped cigarette too.

"You know how I feel about you littering." Baekhyun only scolded as he grabbed the last shard. He walked the few meters left and threw away the pieces of the lighter. He walked back to Chanyeol and held the cigarette out for him to see. "And about smoking too."

Chanyeol scoffed.

"Sorry, Baek," Chanyeol retorted sarcastically. "Didn't mean to upset you." Baekhyun rolled his eyes playfully.

"You have not called me Baek in forever," Baekhyun only said, trying to lighten the mood slightly. "I kinda miss it." Chanyeol's eyebrows rose in surprise as he eyed the smaller male carefully, who took a seat on top of a table nearby.

"Haven't had many opportunities to call you that, I suppose," Chanyeol murmured. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you think that is?" He asked simply, which made Chanyeol feel a pang of guilt. Before he could even think up an apology, Baekhyun spoke again. "It's water under the bridge, you know. I still like you."

Chanyeol only eyed him further curiously.

"Really?" Chanyeol asked surprised. "I don't believe you for a minute."

"I do!" Baekhyun said quickly. "We've done a lot together, it's hard to throw those memories away." Chanyeol could only nod in agreement. Although hesitant, he moved forward and took a seat besides Baekhyun on the table top.

"Why don't we try to do something, like old times?" Chanyeol asked.

It was Baekhyun's turn to laugh.

"You said that exact line a year ago before you ditched on our plans," Baekhyun said amusingly. He didn't look at Chanyeol, only ahead.

"Come on," Chanyeol nearly pleaded. "It'll be different this time. How about you come see me and the guys play our first game next week? Junmyeon will be in the crowd, I know you two are somewhat friends, too."

Baekhyun hummed, debating the decision.

"Maybe, maybe not," Baekhyun said simply. "If I don't have plans, then I will."

Chanyeol decided not to pressure Baekhyun any further, wanting him to make the decision himself. He felt his heart beat at the same quick speed it had developed earlier. He was sitting awfully close to Baekhyun now, with their hands nearly touching each other. Baekhyun only looked ahead still, looking deep in thought. It was another thing Chanyeol observed about him in the past, his instances of daydreaming. Chanyeol placed his hand on top of Baekhyun's to tease him. Baekhyun let out a light gasp at the sudden touch and quickly retracted his hand. Chanyeol chuckled.

"You're still easy to tease, huh?" Chanyeol asked humorously.

"It's definitely not that," Baekhyun muttered. "Just lost in thought."

"Like usual Baekhyun," Chanyeol observed, grinning. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just about things," Baekhyun responded slowly. "Things people have been saying lately."

Chanyeol frowned, examining Baekhyun's face further, seeing a familiar gloominess to it. Hesitantly, he placed an arm around Baekhyun, an action he had always done when they were once good friends.

"Want to talk about it?" Chanyeol asked simply, gaze still on Baekhyun. Before Baekhyun could say anything, they both turn their heads to the side, seeing sudden movement. Chanyeol quickly unwraps his arm from Baekhyun's body as he straightens up, seeing his friend Minseok slowly walk towards them. Chanyeol rolls his eyes as Minseok shyly waves at Baekhyun, which Baekhyun returns with a smile.

"Maybe another time," Baekhyun whispered to Chanyeol. He then took out his phone and looked at the numbers on the clock. "I need to go home." He scoots a bit away from Chanyeol and stands up. Before Chanyeol could give a proper goodbye, Baekhyun waves at him and Minseok and rushes off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the 2+ month late update LOL
> 
> it's summer so updates should be a little bit more errr.. not late. we'll see.
> 
> and sorry that this chapter is like boring, i needed to get this stuff out of the way to set up for the next chapter.
> 
> anyways, see ya


	4. yin and yang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be ALL flashbacks.
> 
> The usual structure that I've been going with for this story is each chapter having a flashback + a present scene. However, I have decided to make this chapter heavily flashback-centered. The structure will be totally different from what you've seen in the other three chapters, so just wanted to make a note of that.

_sophomore year (two years ago), spring_

 

Baekhyun was trying his hardest to repress his giddiness.

He had a never-ending smile on his face as he continued up the stairs towards Chanyeol's apartment. He firmly held the freshly baked cake with both his hands, trying not to channel his inner clumsiness to prevent dropping it. Once at the top of the staircase, he continued forward through the hallways, passing the doors of Chanyeol's neighbors. He finally approached Chanyeol's door. With much care, he rested the cake platter on his forearm as he dug in his back pocket for Chanyeol's key.

It was surprising to Baekhyun that Chanyeol would trust him enough to give him a copy of his house key. They were only friends for a little over a year, so Baekhyun wasn't expecting anything from Chanyeol, especially not a house key.

 

_"Do friends give house keys?" Baekhyun asked, confused. "I thought that only couples did that, and after years of dating."_

_Had Baekhyun not been shy enough to look at Chanyeol, he would have seen the taller male slowly redden at his question._

_"Well," Chanyeol said flustered, unsure on how to respond. "We are a couple. Just without the romance."_

_Baekhyun took in his words. He found himself agreeing. In the short span of a year, they had done pretty much everything together. They worked on school work nearly everyday, Baekhyun visited Chanyeol almost everyday as well, sometimes bringing little candies and snacks that Chanyeol always adored. It was all so surreal for Baekhyun. They were often given odd looks during school hours, as they didn't seem like the pair to hang out together. Chanyeol was a tall, somewhat menacing, "bad boy", what many of his peers liked to refer to him as. Baekhyun on the other hand, was the opposite. Quiet, small, soft on both the outside and the inside. Some even thought that Chanyeol was Baekhyun's bodyguard._

_When Baekhyun brought the whole thing up, himself also wondering why Chanyeol would hang out with him of all people, Chanyeol referred to the concept of yin and yang._

_They were polar opposites, yet somehow connected so well._

_So Baekhyun finally looked up at Chanyeol._

_Then he smiled._

_"That's a good way to put it, Yeollie," Baekhyun said quietly. "Thank you."_

 

 

It was also weird to Baekhyun how Chanyeol even owned a place to himself, only in his sophomore year of high school. Apparently, Chanyeol was able to pull some strings and change some information on his lease, resulting in his own ownership and residence of his apartment. And as a high school student, it struck odd to Baekhyun that Chanyeol could afford rent monthly.

His parents used to be rich, it seemed.

Baekhyun found the key and quickly jammed it into the lock, turning it sideways and twisting the knob. He entered the small home, feeling no surprise seeing littered trash and clothing all over the floor. He let out a sigh, and immediately moved towards the kitchen. He placed the cake in the oven before moving back out and towards the closet. There, he grabbed a broom, the one that he bought for Chanyeol months ago. Baekhyun chuckled as he examined the broom, still seeing it newly wrapped up in it's plastic cover. Knowing Chanyeol and his unbelievable fear of cleaning after himself, he again felt no shock at this. He unwrapped it and placed the plastic in the garbage before starting to sweep.

Simultaneously, he picked up the clothes and garbage strewn all across the hardwood floor, placing the clothes in a hamper and the trash in the garbage.

This was nothing out of the ordinary, Baekhyun loved cleaning for Chanyeol. Plus, today was a special day for Chanyeol, so Baekhyun felt compelled to make the apartment look neat regardless.

Baekhyun started cleaning in the living room and then spread out to other parts of the apartment. He moved from the living room to the kitchen, then to Chanyeol's bedroom and bathroom. He made sure not to touch any of Chanyeol's belongings, and only focused on simple cleaning tasks like making the bed and airing the room out.

He was just finishing up starting laundry when he felt a buzz in his back pocket. Grabbing his phone, he unlocked the screen and opened the text message alert.

 

_from: Chanyeollie~_

_On my way home_

_Got awesome news to tell you (:_

 

Baekhyun felt an overwhelming sense of happiness seeing the text. He sent a smiling emoji as a quick response and put his phone back in his pocket. He then moved towards the TV, turning it on. Grabbing the remote, he selected the Netflix app and left the cursor hovering over the movies section. They always decided as a pair what movie they would watch together. Baekhyun strided towards the kitchen, taking the cake out of the oven and placing it on the countertop, hidden from plain sight. He examined the cake for the thousandth time before retreating to the living room again.

_Maybe baking a cake was a stupid idea.._

Baekhyun started to feel his body heat up with embarrassment, imagining what Chanyeol's reaction would be. Maybe he'll think it's lame. What if he doesn't like strawberries? What if he's allergic to an ingredient?

Before Baekhyun could invent another far fetched scenario, the door opened swiftly. Baekhyun stepped back as Chanyeol entered, a smile also placed on his face. After closing the door, he turned around to face Baekhyun.

"I made the team!" Chanyeol cheered, arms widening out to his sides, gesturing for a hug. Baekhyun clapped excitedly, feeling proud. He rushed up towards his friend and collapsed in his embrace. Baekhyun felt a wave of joy rush over him as his friend lifted him up and twirled him around. It showed just how excited and happy Chanyeol was about being placed on the baseball team. Baekhyun's arms persisted around Chanyeol, as they continued to celebrate Chanyeol's victory.

Baekhyun knew how hard his friend trained for this moment. Every day after school for the past six months, way before baseball was even in season, Chanyeol worked hard. Baekhyun was always there during his mini-practices to support him. Occasionally, Chanyeol would give him the challenge of pitching the ball to him. Baekhyun, very wary about sports, didn't pitch correctly, as one would expect. Chanyeol gladly taught Baekhyun how to pitch, and among this, Chanyeol also taught him to swing a bat in correct formation, taught him about the bases, and about scoring.

Sports isn't something Baekhyun is fond of, but seeing the light in Chanyeol's eyes and the glee that he had when talking about his favorite sport, Baekhyun couldn't help but soak it all in.

They were still embracing. Baekhyun's head rested nicely on Chanyeol's chest, and he could feel Chanyeol's heart beat faster and faster. He figured that this was because of the good news. Baekhyun's own heart started to beat as well, as he suddenly started to realize how close he was to Chanyeol. They were body to body, with Chanyeol's face in Baekhyun's neck. He could feel Chanyeol's light breaths flow down the back of his neck, and he could feel Chanyeol almost nuzzle the side of his neck.

_Maybe we're reaching another level of friendship, where we're more comfortable with each other._

Slowly, Baekhyun retracted from his friend.

"I made you something," Baekhyun said quietly, rushing to the kitchen. Chanyeol grinned and followed shortly behind him.

Baekhyun moved towards the countertop and grabbed the cake. He walked in front of Chanyeol and slowly handed it over, not wanting to see Chanyeol's face in fear of feeling immense embarrassment.

"I wasn't sure what flavor to make the cake," Baekhyun voiced hastily, playing with his fingers in nervousness. "You eat everything I give you so I figured you would like anything?"

Chanyeol couldn't help but grin at the sight of his friend fidget below him. It was almost cute, but it made Chanyeol feel somewhat sad. They were very close friends, but Baekhyun still seemed nervous around him. Chanyeol always expressed that Baekhyun didn't have to be intimidated by him, but Baekhyun always brushed it off.

"I'm sure it tastes amazing," Chanyeol reassured as he removed the plastic wrap that covered it. He dipped a finger into the pink frosting and tasted it himself. "See? Delightful." Baekhyun bit his lip.

"I think I may have made the frosting too sweet," Baekhyun said, looking down at the tiles beneath them. "I added more sugar than instructed." Chanyeol rolled his eyes and dipped another finger in the frosting. Before Baekhyun could see what he was doing, Chanyeol directed the finger to Baekhyun's lips. His mouth stayed closed stubbornly as he looked up at his friend, confused, and Chanyeol smirked.

"Just taste it," Chanyeol murmured.

Hesitantly, Baekhyun opened his mouth and tongued at his finger, taking some of the frosting off of it. He let the sugary substance dissolve in his mouth, evaluating the taste of his own creation. Baekhyun's lips pursed and he started to pout.

"See, I did put too much sugar!" He said, facepalming.

Chanyeol used his other hand to ruffle his friend's hair.

"Lucky for you, I like extra sweet things," Chanyeol said simply. "It's why I'm friends with you."

Before Baekhyun could say anything in response Chanyeol gave a playful wink before descending to the living room, eyes scanning around for the remote.

"Let's get to the movie now!" Chanyeol voiced. Baekhyun, almost in a trance, nodded quickly and followed behind.

* * *

 

_sophomore year (two years ago), spring_

 

Baekhyun glanced at his phone nervously for the millionth time that night, shivering from the night cold. Luckily, the theater's bright building shone lights around him, so he didn't feel totally vulnerable. He bit his lip to stop it from quivering, and he grabbed his phone from his jacket pocket again. He lit the screen up and felt more disappointment seeing no new text messages from his friend. He let out a heavy breath, seeing it form fog, as if he was smoking a cigarette. He hugged his own body tighter, fighting against the cold. He would go inside, but he didn't want to be seen as loitering there. Chanyeol was supposed to meet him at the theater an hour ago to watch a movie, and he still hasn't shown up. Spring nights were particularly bad around this time, and Baekhyun's fragile body couldn't handle the harsh winds.

He leaned against the theater building behind him, not wanting to look at others passing by. He could feel their gaze on him, probably wondering why he was alone and not doing anything but just standing there.

He felt his eyes close, feeling tired from standing around all night. What woke him up from his daze was a buzz from his phone. Feeling grateful, Baekhyun quickly retrieved the phone from his pocket again and turned it on. He opened the text message. The feeling of gratefulness immediately turned to sadness.

 

_from: Chanyeollie :) :P <3_

 

_team wanted to throw a party for me._

_sorry i couldn't make it._

_tell me how the movie is, yeah?_

Baekhyun stared at the message he just received. He felt shocked at the sudden change of plans. Chanyeol always lets Baekhyun know beforehand if he can't come hangout. Baekhyun quickly wiped his eyes as he felt them start to sting.

_Don't cry, what's wrong with you? Let him have fun with his other friends._

_I just wish he told me beforehand.._

He examined the text one last time before sending one back.

 

_to: Chanyeollie :) :P <3_

 

 

_it's ok! i'm actually going to_

_skip watching it and just head_

_home.. very tired. :(_

 

_anyway, make smart decisions okay Yeollie?_

_but make sure to have fun! :)_

 

He looked at his response carefully, praying he didn't sound too annoying or too much of a nuisance. He didn't want to make Chanyeol feel bad about this mishap, he didn't think there was a reason to.

_Chanyeol is his own individual, he can make his own decisions. Plus, we have been hanging out all the time, anyway! One ditch doesn't mean the end of the world. Plus, we'll hang out a lot more in the future._

_..._

_Right?_

* * *

 

_junior year (one year ago), spring_

 

Baekhyun moved towards the exit, bowing his head again gratefully, as he walked out into the hallway. Baekhyun was still feeling the lingering embarrassment in the back of his head after giving Mr. Do his gift card. He looked at Mr. Do, looking for any signs of humor, worried that Mr. Do was internally making fun of him. Baekhyun saw nothing of the sort, just a genuine smile still on his teacher's face.

It was officially the end of the school day for Baekhyun, and he just wanted to head home. He had a pile of books just waiting to be read, and his mother made a fresh batch of cookies which he was oddly very excited about.

He didn't even want to think about touching his phone that weekend, knowing that Chanyeol would profusely apologize like always. Baekhyun gave him multiple chances upon multiple chances, yet was hit with disappointment every time as Chanyeol would make plans with other people, people he prioritized more than him, it seemed.

"Have a good weekend, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun said, smiling at him. It was still somewhat odd calling his teacher by first name, but Baekhyun thought they were at that stage where it was appropriate.

"You too, Baekhyun."

And so, they parted ways. Baekhyun watched as his teacher left before turning and making his own departure. He reached the back doors and walked towards the parking lot. He still couldn't believe he could drive. His mother put him through a driving education program, where he could learn all of the information related to driving. He remembered an instance with Chanyeol where Chanyeol promised he would teach Baekhyun to drive, but the moment has never come, to no one's surprise.

Baekhyun started to walk towards his old fashioned car, a hand me down from his mother, when he heard a voice in the distance.

"Baek!"

Baekhyun's eyes widened at the familiarity in the voice, but soon his eyes turned cold and narrow and he continued towards his car, except he started to speed up. He heard Chanyeol shout his nickname again, but Baekhyun tried his hardest not to turn around as he continued walking. Once he got to his car door, he reached into his pockets to grab his ring of keys. He felt impact on the ground behind him and soon, in his car window reflection, he saw his friend behind him. Baekhyun sighed and turned around, seeing Chanyeol with the same face of guilt that Baekhyun was used to.

"What?" Baekhyun asked simply as he crossed his arms and leaned against his car.

"Did you get my texts?" Chanyeol asked breathlessly, presumably because he was rushing over to meet with Baekhyun. Baekhyun looked down at the floor once again, an act he did far too often in front of Chanyeol.

"Yes, I did," Baekhyun said slowly, still not able to make eye contact. "Why would I respond though, if you're just going to ditch me?"

He gathered the courage to look up at his friend, and he saw that his friend still looked guilty, like usual. Baekhyun couldn't help but feel bad, however, as it took a lot to make Chanyeol feel sad. Baekhyun softened his cold look, and looked around the parking lot, not seeing any of his baseball friends with him.

"Aren't you afraid of being seen with me?" Baekhyun continued to interrogate, genuine curiosity sparking his courage to ask. "You never approach me during school hours and every time I try to approach you, you always walk away to avoid me."

"That's not true-"

"Yes, it is!" Baekhyun exclaimed, clearly starting to get frustrated. "And that's not even the worst part. You always ask to hang out outside of school where your friends won't even see us and you still ditch me for them. This has happened for months now, Chanyeol, do you not understand this?" Baekhyun started to get breathless as he started to rant, wanting to make sure that Chanyeol understood where he was coming from. Chanyeol scratched the back of his neck, clearly flustered.

"I know, I know," Chanyeol murmured quietly. "Most recently, my friend Junmyeon had a relative pass away, I couldn't just leave him, right?" He pleaded with Baekhyun, still displaying a look of guilt. Baekhyun's face softened even more, feeling empathetic towards both Chanyeol and Junmyeon, a person he was somewhat acquainted with through school.

"I suppose not.." Baekhyun whispered, now unsure on how to respond. He suddenly felt rough hands on his shoulders.

"I don't want bad blood between us," Chanyeol voiced, eyes maintained on Baekhyun. "Let's hang out tonight, please? It can be at my place, you still have my key."

That was true. Chanyeol's house key hung comfortably on Baekhyun's key ring. He thumbed the key he knew familiarly, recalling the day that Chanyeol gave it to him. Again, Baekhyun looked around the parking lot, still seeing nobody around that would witness their interaction.

"Promise me you'll actually be there?" Baekhyun finally asked.

"I promise." Chanyeol said instantly.

* * *

Later that night, Baekhyun was practically fuming. He looked towards the clock that hung up on the wall, it displayed the time to be around eleven at night. Chanyeol promised to be at the house by nine thirty at the latest. Baekhyun sat on the couch, staring at his phone. He looked at the text messages he sent to Chanyeol, most of them filled with worry, as Baekhyun did wonder if something had happened to Chanyeol that prevented him from coming. He dialed Chanyeol's number again and was instantly met with voicemail. He groaned, tossing his phone beside him as he got up. He turned off Chanyeol's TV. Baekhyun prepped it as soon as he got there, but now that Chanyeol has proven his unreliability once again, he decided that it was all a waste of time.

Baekhyun shook his head, wondering why he ever fell for the stupid invitation.

He grabbed his phone off of the couch and grabbed his shoulder bag that was leaned on the sofa. He started to make his way to the front door, but jumped back as he heard a sudden pounding on the door.

Before Baekhyun could make any sort of sound, he heard the voice of his friend ring around the walls of the room, despite him being on the other side of the door.

"Baekhyuuuuuun, are you in there?" Chanyeol asked through slurred words. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at the door, already knowing what Chanyeol did tonight.

"Did you drink?" Baekhyun asked sharply as he strided towards the front door, unlocking it slowly. Opening it revealed his friend Chanyeol, and Baekhyun was surprised to see Chanyeol look like a total mess. One side of his baseball tee shirt was tucked in his pants, and a part of his sleeve was torn. The shirt, which used to be white, had a noticeable stain on the chest. Noting of the color, it was probably beer. Chanyeol had droopy eyes accompanied with a grin that Baekhyun was not comfortable seeing, as it did not seem genuine. It almost made Baekhyun smile himself, but knowing that it was just the alcohol, Baekhyun never had the urge to actually do so.

"Baek!" Chanyeol brightened. "I'm so glad you came."

Baekhyun could only narrow his eyes at his friend. Not only did Chanyeol come over an hour late, but he was also drunk. Baekhyun didn't want to leave Chanyeol struggling by himself, though. Even though he was mad at Chanyeol, it would feel wrong for him to leave while Chanyeol couldn't even stand up straight by himself. Baekhyun quickly rushed forwards to help his friend as he started to fall. Chanyeol then leaned into Baekhyun's smaller body for support. Baekhyun stumbled back only slightly, as Chanyeol was larger than he and it was hard for Baekhyun to balance the both of them.

"Let's get you to bed, okay?" Baekhyun pleaded as he started to walk with Chanyeol towards the hallway. Chanyeol re-directed their direction towards the living room. Baekhyun couldn't turn them back to the hallway and to his room as he was smaller and had no force.

"No, I want to watch a movie," Chanyeol whined, stumbling over to the sofa with Baekhyun under his arm. "Let's watch a movie together."

Baekhyun sighed as he smelt the sudden strong stench of liquor radiating from his friend. It was obviously clear that Chanyeol went out with his friends and drank. Prior to this, Baekhyun never saw Chanyeol drink anything alcoholic, or smoke anything other than cigarettes. He felt a sharp pang in his heart. When Baekhyun first met Chanyeol, this behavior wouldn't have been a surprise, because it would have just made so much sense. Baekhyun's first thought when thinking of Chanyeol was that the guy was lawless, with little morals. He thought that drinking was probably only one of many juvenile things he did. However, now that they've been friends for a while, Chanyeol's habit of drinking was foreign for the both of them. 

As they were walking towards the sofa, someone must have tripped on their own feet, because they fell forward. Chanyeol fell on the sofa first, with Baekhyun following. Chanyeol let out a hearty drunk laugh as Baekhyun's head landed on his chest. Baekhyun's face reddened as he removed himself from his position on Chanyeol's body.

"Sorry, so clumsy," Chanyeol said between laughter.

"You're just drunk, it's fine," Baekhyun dismissed as he walked towards the kitchen. "I'll get you some water."

Baekhyun then headed to the refrigerator for a bottle of water for his drunken friend. He carefully reached up to a higher cupboard to search for some pills that would help ease the hangover that Chanyeol would surely experience. He settled with some ibuprofen and grabbed a few pills from the bottle before placing it back in the cupboard and closing it. He turned, heading towards the exit of the kitchen and found Chanyeol still wide awake, staring at the TV which wasn't even on. 

Baekhyun walked over to his friend and handed him the cold water and the pills.

"Take these before you go to bed, it'll lessen the hangover effects." Baekhyun explained slowly, eyeing his friend carefully. Chanyeol nodded, eyes still on the TV. Baekhyun figured that would be it, and he turned around, starting to back off. Too quickly, he felt a hand grasp his wrist. Baekhyun hastily spun around again, seeing Chanyeol looking up at Baekhyun, eyes hazy from the drinks. Although his eyes were calm, his smile was not. Chanyeol was practically beaming at his friend, which made Baekhyun's heart flutter.

"I love you, Baek," Chanyeol murmured. He stood up, to the best of his ability, and leaned down, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's frame. Baekhyun froze, unsure on how to react to this sudden act of affection. They've been apart for many, many months since their sophomore year, so to suddenly be in Chanyeol's embrace after the long hiatus was astonishing. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol, too.

"I love you, too," Baekhyun whispered back, though Chanyeol probably wouldn't be able to hear. Baekhyun, after all the time away from his friend, started to feel conflicted. Every day he would miss Chanyeol's company, and he would think about him too often. He would miss the times when they practiced and talked about baseball, when they baked together, watched movies together and did school related things too. Chanyeol was getting A's and B's on his report cards because of Baekhyun's tutoring and support. Baekhyun missed his everyday interactions with his friend.

He would often think about what Chanyeol said about their relationship. 

_"We are a couple. Just without the romance."_

They did everything together, much like a couple would. Baekhyun, only recently, considered how different their relationship would be if it were sparked through romance and not by friendship. Baekhyun thought about what it would be like to be with Chanyeol as a boyfriend rather than just a friend. It was taboo thinking, as romance between them was never brought up. However, Baekhyun couldn't help but think that if they were together, then Chanyeol wouldn't have abandoned him so suddenly.

Baekhyun, lost in thought, was pulled back to reality as he felt Chanyeol's large hands rub his backside. They lowered further down until he felt Chanyeol's hands suddenly swoop underneath the back of his shirt, and start to caress the skin of his back and hips. He let out a gasp at the sudden movement. Baekhyun lifted his head suddenly to look up at Chanyeol, wanting to question what he was intending with the intimate touches. Before Baekhyun could voice anything, he felt Chanyeol's lips attack his own in a greedy manner. Baekhyun's eyes widened at the unexpectedness of it all. Although he suddenly tensed up, his arms stayed wrapped around Chanyeol's bigger frame as he then closed his eyes, unsure of what else to do. He didn't return the kiss, though, as he didn't know how to.

Kissing was on the list of things that Baekhyun has never done.

He disintegrated under Chanyeol's touch as he then began to nibble on his ear, receiving a whimper from Baekhyun.

"Chanyeol, ah," Baekhyun murmured hazily. "What are you doing?"

He felt Chanyeol's husky breath on his ear, along with his kisses on his neck. Baekhyun bit his lip to prevent a moan from escaping his throat. He felt added pressure on his neck, as if Chanyeol was sucking the skin. 

Baekhyun's hands landed on Chanyeol's chest, pushing weakly.

"Chanyeol, stop," Baekhyun protested breathlessly. "You're drunk."

Chanyeol only hummed in response, as he continued to attack the smaller male's neck. Baekhyun used his elbows to push from Chanyeol's grasp, and he finally unattached himself. Chanyeol looked at him with confusion, eyes still showing pure drunkedness. Baekhyun felt cold suddenly, missing the warmth that the two of them had just now, but he knew that acting upon this with Chanyeol was wrong. Clearly, Chanyeol was under the influence and could not think straight.

"Chanyeol, you're drunk," Baekhyun repeated, using both of his trembling hands to sit him back down on the couch. "I need you to rest, okay?"

Chanyeol's hands became greedy again as they instantly went to Baekhyun's hips, and pulled his body slightly forward. Baekhyun grabbed his hands quickly and detached them. Baekhyun stepped backwards slowly before grabbing his belongings from the chair nearby.

"Goodnight, babe," Chanyeol said as he then yawned and rested his head upon the sofa. Baekhyun, again, was dumbfounded. Before he knew it, Chanyeol was out like a light. Chanyeol's eyes were closed and his face was buried in the sofa cushions. Baekhyun stood there, just watching, for a few minutes. His breathing was still ragged from the sudden events. His neck felt sore, and his lips were still reminiscent of Chanyeol's taste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions PLEASE ask. I know that my writing is very confusing so if there's something that doesn't add up or there's something that confuses you, let me know!! <3
> 
> Thank you. Next chapter coming soon.


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